Apparatus for raising liquids



311? 3%46. D. GOLLNER 2,207,318

APPARATUS FOR RAISING LIQUIDS Filed Feb. 10, 1939 ?atenteci July 9, 1940a r a ient @FFEQE Application February 10, 1939, Serial No. 255,766 InGermany September 29, 1937 4 Claims.

The invention relates to automatically working float-controlledapparatus for raising liquids by means of compressed air, such as aremore particularly employed in mines for raising accumulating water, thewater either flowing into the collecting tank of the apparatus by itsown weight (under-water pump) or being sucked into it by aninjector-like action of the compressed air.

The invention is more particularly adapted for use in connection with aliquid raising apparatus of the kind forming the subject matter of myBritish Specification No. 463,032, according to which the stop valve ofthe exhaust opening is formed as a cone valve, the compressed air beingintroduced into the tank by one or more nozzles the mouths of which arepositioned close to the valve cone in such a direction and at such alevel that they blow substantially in the direction of the generatorlines of the cone along its conical surface when the valve is open, thusproducing by an injector-like action a negative pressure in thecollecting tank and drawing the water into the tank, These liquidraising apparatus show a certain drawback as regards the closing motionof the valve. When, for example, the float is approaching its uppermostposition during the filling of the collecting tank and the inflow ofwater suddenly ceases for one reason or the other, the valve remains inan intermediate position in which the section of flow of the exhaustopening is reduced so that the compressed air can neither flow fullypast the valve to the exhaust nor fully into the collecting tank. If nowan inflow of water sets in again, the compressed air because of thereduced section of passage is unable to overcome the dead point and drawfurther water into the collecting tank. This may of course entail adisturbance of the working of the apparatus.

The invention has for its object to remove this evil. It consists in anarrangement wherein the stop valve of the exhaust opening of thecollecting tank is placed under the action of a closing force (weight orspring force) which is independent from the float but which is releasedby the float when same reaches its uppermost position. the valve beingthen instantaneously moved into closed position by said force.

on oi its closing movement (Cl. 10324S) ratus constructed in accordancewith the invention, the stop valve is kept always fully open during thefilling of the collecting tank so that the compressed air is allowed toflow with undiminished force past the valve body in every phase 5 of thefilling and can exert the required suctional action, while when thefilling is coming to its end and the float approaches its uppermostposition, the separate closing force produces a safe closing of thevalve, whereupon all of the com-.

pressed air supplied can exert its action in the collecting tank forforcing out the water drawn in. Therefore, if an interruption of thesupply of water should occur in the last part of the filling period,this would be without any injurious effect, because the valve remainseither fully open or securely closed which depends on the water level inthe collecting tank, it being impossible for the valve to assume anunfavorable intermediate position. Due to the provision of lockingmechanism for the stop valve or weighted lever, violent motions in thecollecting tank of the'inflowing Water also do not influence theposition of the valve.

The idea of using for the stop valve of the exhaust opening of thecollecting tank a closing force independent from the float also rendersthis control suitable for liquid raising apparatus of particularly largedimensions, with which compressed air is admitted into the tank onlyduring cupies the largest part of the collecting tank.

There are generally used for these raising apparatus vertical tanks of aheight which is usually much greater than the depth of the natural pitsin. which the water to be raised accumulates. The pits must therefore beexcavated to a substantial depth in order to permit placing thecollecting tank so low that it may fill with the arriving water in thedesired manner. The arriving water first flows into the spacesurrounding the Heat and only then from this space into the iloat, Mostof the mud contained in the water therefore deposits in the surroundingspace, so that the same will soon be silted and impede the floatmovements. As a result thereof the tank requires frequent cleansing byhand or the installation of expensive devices for automatically removingthe mud.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawing in which:

Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal section oi an ap= paratus for raisingliquids by means of compressed air with a control according to theinvention,

Fig. 2 is a corresponding longitudinal section of the upper portion of araising apparatus with a control especially adapted for apparatus bywhich large quantities of liquid have to be raised and the water flowsinto the collecting tank exclusively by its own gravity, and

Fig. 3 is a detail view of a modified locking mechanism for the weightedlever.

The collecting tank I of the raising apparatus is formed as a horizontalreservoir. 2 is the inlet opening for the water flowing or sucked in, anon-return valve 3 being provided at the inlet. 4 is the delivery pipealso containing a non-return valve 5. The control device of the raisingapparatus is carried by a cover 6 which surmounts an opening I in thetop wall of the collecting tank.

With the embodiment according to Fig. l, the compressed air is admittedthrough pipe 8 and flows through ducts of the cover 6 to a number ofnozzles 9 arranged around a cone valve I0. There may also be usedinstead of the several individual nozzles a corresponding annular nozzlewhich causes compressed air to be blown in the direction of thegenerator lines of the cone II]. The cone valve II) serves to close oropen the eX- haust opening I I of the collecting tank I, through whichopening the air contained in the tank can freely escape to theatmosphere during the filling of the tank. The cone valve It moves withits stem in a guide l2 which is fastened to the cover. The valve stempossesses a longitudinal slot I3 through which is passed a cross pin I4which interconnects the upper ends of two links I5 which in turn areconnected with the lever I8 of the float I'I. Swingingly mountedunderneath the guide I2 on a bracket I2 is a weighted lever I8 the freeend I9 of which bears against the lower end of the stem of the conevalve III. This stem is provided with an annular groove 20 with whichcooperates a transverse pin 2| which is shiftable in the guide I2 andpivoted to a cranked lever 22 rotatably mounted in a bracket 23 of theguide I2.

The operation of the described liquid raising apparatus is as follows.When the tank I is empty, the float I7 occupies its lowermost positionin which it has drawn the cone valve I into open position through theintermediary of the links I and pin I4. In this position, the lookingpin 2| engages the annular groove 20 of the valve stem and thereby locksthe Valve ID in its open position. At this time the weighted lever I3 iselevated. With the valve Ill open the com pressed air emitted from thenozzles 9 flows past the valve into the exhaust opening I I and like aninjector creates a negative pressure in the collecting tank I so thatthe water can flow freely or be sucked into the tank. When in theprogression of the filling of the tank I the float IT comes into itsuppermost position, its lever I6 by a stud l8 hits against the crankedlever 22 and 5.. it so as to cause the pin II to be withdrawn from theannular giooie 2.6. Thereby the cone valve is released and positivelyforced by the weighted lever I8 into its closing position, which isillustrated in Fig. 1. The compressed air emitted by the nozzles nowenters into full action in the tank I forcing out through the deliverypipe 4 the water and mud contained in the tank. During this period thefloat in the tank drops and in entering its lowermost position draws thecone valve I0 into its open position through the intermediary of thelinks I5 and cross pin I4 and against the action of the weighted leverI8, the pin 2| snapping again into the annular groove. The describedoperation then starts anew.

The control shown in Fig. 2 essentially differs from that according toFig. 1 by the way in which the compressed air is supplied. In this casethe compressed air only serves to force the liquid which has flowed intothe collecting tank I through a delivery pipe (similar to 4 of Fig. 1).This embodiment therefore relates to a so-called under-water pump withwhich the water flows by gravity into the collecting tank. Thecompressed air is admitted through pipe 8, valve 23, and a duct 25. Thevalve 24 is disposed in the" prolonged axis of the cone valve II] of theexhaust opening II. When the cone valve In is open for allowing the airto escape from the tank I, the valve 24 must be closed to preventcompressed air admission to the tank I. Fig. 2 shows the parts in theposition which they assume just before the 'float II reaches its highestposition. When this position is attained the float lever I8 through thestud H3 tilts the cranked lever 22 and thereby withdraws the locking pin2| from the annular groove of the stem of the cone valve II]. As aresult thereof the weighted lever I8 by its end I9 moves the cone valveIII into its closed position so that any further escape of air from thetank I cannot take place. The cone valve In in its closing movementsimultaneously pushes open the compressed air admission valve 24 so thatthe compressed air can flow unhindered past the latter through the duct25 into the collecting tank and force from the same through the deliverypipe 4 the liquid and mud contained in the tank. The closing forcefurnished by the weighted lever can easily be made so strong that itdoes not only produce the closing of cone valve II] but also the openingof the valve 24 against the pressure of the compressed air by whichvalve 24 is loaded. The necessity of using submerging floats, whichalways entail silting of the collecting tank, is therefore dispensedwith.

With both forms of apparatus described, there may be used as analternative the mechanism illustrated by Fig. 3. With this modifiedmechanism the weighted lever I8 is mounted in a bracket I2 of the guidemember I2 and lies with its arm I9 below the stem of the exhaust valve.The arm I9 carries a cross-pin 26 which traverses longitudinal slots 2'!of the links I5. Mounted at 28 is a pawl consisting of bell crank lever29 the upright arm of which has a nose 30 adapted to engage the free endof the arm I9 of lever I8 and hold the latter inoperative with itsweighted end in elevated position as shown in Fig. 3. The operation ofthis mechanism is similar to that of the corresponding mechanismsdescribed with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. When the float reaches itsuppermost position, its lever I5 by the stud It" hits against thebell-crank lever 29 and tilts the same so as to cause the nose 36 torelease the weighted lever I8 which instantaneously acts on the stem ofthe air exhaust valve and closes it as described. When the float dropsagain its lever H5 in approaching the lowermost position through theintermediary of the links l5 and cross-pin 26 swings the weighted leveragain into the initial position shown in which it is engaged and lockedby the nose 30 of the bell-crank lever 29, the exhaust valve being thusallowed to remain again fully open.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters- Patent, is:

1. An apparatus for raising liquids by means of compressed air,comprising a collecting tank for the liquid to be raised having avalve-controlled inlet and a valve-controlled delivery pipe for theliquid, means for introducing compressed air into the collecting tank, avalve for regulating the exhaust of air from the collecting tank, asingle float in the tank adapted to control the position of the exhaustvalve, connecting means between the float and the exhaust valve throughwhich to open this valve when the float reaches its lowermost position,and power means in the tank separate and independent of the floatadapted to act on the exhaust valve for closing it, a locking mechanismfor holding the said power means inactive during the filling period ofthe apparatus, with the said locking mechanism arranged in the path ofmovement of the float and adapted to be released by the float when samereaches its uppermost position, so as to render the said power meansactive and causeit to close the air exhaust valve, and means forautomatically restoring the power means and the locking mechanism totheir inactive and looking positions, respectively.

2. An apparatus for raising liquids by means of compressed air,comprising a collecting tank for the liquid to be raised having avalve-controlled inlet and a valve-controlled delivery pipe for theliquid, means for introducing compressed air into the collecting tank, avalve for regulating the exhaust of air from the collecting tank, asingle float in the tank adapted to control the position of the exhaustvalve, connecting means between the float and the exhaust valve throughwhich to open this valve when the float reaches its lowermost position,and a weighted lever in the tank separate and independent of the floatarranged to act on the exhaust valve in the direction of the closingmovement of thesame, a looking mechanism for holding the weighted leverinoperative during the filling period of the apparatus, with the saidlocking mechanism arranged in the path of movement of the float andadapted to be released by the float when same reaches its uppermostposition so as to render the weighted lever operative and cause it toclose the air exhaust valve, and means for automatically restoring theweighted lever and the locking mechanism to their inoperative andlocking positions, respectively.

3. An apparatus for raising liquids by means of compressed air,comprising a collecting tank for the liquid to be raised having avalve-controlled inlet and a valve=oontrolled delivery pipe for the liqud. means for intrcducing compressed air into the collecting tank, avalve for regulating the exhaust of air from the collecting tank, a stemon the exhaust valve adapted to move vertically up and down in a guidemember, a float in the tank adapted to control the position of theexhaust valve, connecting means between the float and the stem of theexhaust valve through which to open this valve when the float is in itslowermost position, an annular groove in the stem of the exhaust valve,a cranked lever mounted on the stem guide member for swinging movementin a vertical plane, a pin pivoted to the cranked lever and adapted toengage the said groove of the stem of the exhaust valve when the latteris in its lower open position and lock the valve in such position, aweighted lever arranged for vertical swinging movement in the tank withone of its arms operatively engaging the lower end of the stem of theexhaust valve and exert a closing force thereon, the said crankedlocking lever being arranged in the path of movement of the float andadapted to be swung by the float upon the same reaching its uppermostposition in such a manner as to release the stem of the exhaust valveand allow it to be acted upon by the said weighted lever to therebyclose the exhaust valve.

4. An apparatus for raising liquids by means of compressed air,comprising a collecting tank for the liquid to be raised having avalve-controlled inlet and a valve-controlled delivery pipe for theliquid, means for introducing compressed air into the collecting tank, avalve for regulating the exhaust of air from the collecting tank, afloat in the tank adapted to control the position of the exhaust valve,connecting means between the float and the exhaust valve through whichto open this valve when the float reaches it lowermost position, and aweighted lever in the tank arranged to act on the exhaust valve in thedirection of the closing movement of the same, a pawl arranged to holdthe weighted lever in inoperative position, this pawl being formed byone lever and the pawl to their inoperative and locking positions,respectively, when the float is returning to its lowermost position.

DETLEV GLLNER.

